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Category Archives: 2013 Elections

Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, pictured, wrote an amendment to the newly enacted voter ID law requiring voters with name discrepancies on their identification to sign an affidavit.

A left-leaning political group has raised issue with a state election official’s letter that points to Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis as the reason some voters must sign an affidavit to cast a ballot.

Keith Ingram, director of elections in the secretary of state’s office, penned a letter in response to a voter’s complaint about having to sign an affidavit at the polls. Those affidavits are now necessary when the name on the voter registration database doesn’t exactly match the name on the identification card.

In his letter, Ingram cites the need for affidavits to an amendment authored by Davis that was inserted into the voter ID law.

“This amendment required persons whose name was not an exact match, but was ‘substantially similar’ to sign an affidavit that they were the same person and be allowed to cast a ballot,” Ingram wrote. He did not name any other politicians.

Davis did author the amendment, which was unanimously adopted in the Senate on a 30-0 vote. Without the amendment, voters with name discrepancies instead of signing an affidavit would likely have had to vote with a provisional ballot and later return to county offices or the polling place to prove their identity and have their vote counted.

Davis consultant Matt Angle, with LoneStar Project, said the comments were politically charged and that Ingram’s job requires him to be nonpartisan. Angle points out that Ingram worked in Gov. Rick Perry’s appointments office.

“Ingram wrote (the voter) back, blaming the disruption and changes in routine on Senator Wendy Davis. He misled the voter on what the trouble was and who had caused it – and he appears to have done it for purely partisan reasons,” Angle said.

UPDATE 5:09 pm: A spokesman for Water Texas PAC provided a statement in response to the Texans for Public Justice lobby report.

“Proposition 6 will provide local communities with financial assistance for critical water and conservation projects. Local leaders and experts will prioritize the projects that best meet the water needs of their communities. In addition, the Legislature created an oversight committee to closely monitor the decisions made by the Texas Water Development Board.”

The premier campaign promoting Proposition 6, a water funding measure on the Nov. 5 ballot, took in just over $2.1 million in the past two months. The majority of the donations came from big energy and construction interests.

Top lawmakers and the governor have also blitzed major metro areas with a message to pass Proposition 6. House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, heads Water Texas.

Critics of the measure worry the donations are down payments made by Texas’ biggest industries for lucrative future building contracts and license to unsustainably use water. The opposition has so far struggled to gain traction with its message, relative to Water Texas, as the ongoing drought has drawn attention to the state’s water woes, according to polls.

Big energy interests must have water to function. Texas produces the most, and uses the most, energy of any state in the country. The state population is also booming. The state water plan forecasts Texas’ population will nearly double in the next 50 years.

Proposition 6 would put $2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund into a new water bank administered by the Texas Water Development Board to help finance water projects.

Texans for Public Justice, a left-leaning Austin watchdog group, released a lobby report raising concerns of industry influence on the funds. Many of the same major donors to Water Texas, the report said, have donated a combined $7 million to Gov. Rick Perry’s campaigns since 2010.

Perry recently appointed three new full-time board members to the water board, which will be in charge of the $2 billion fund and play a role in prioritizing the myriad projects outlined in the 50-year state water plan.

Water Texas did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new campaign totals or the Public Justice’s report.

Check out this data chart visualizing Water Texas’ donations. Each spike and bubble extending from the center signifies a donor; the bubble’s size represents the size of the donation. You can zoom in and out, or change the number of nodes to clutter, or unclutter, the chart.

Early voting at Lake Highlands North Recreation Center in Dallas October 22, 2012.

At least one out of every seven early voters in Dallas County has had to sign an affidavit verifying his or her identity as part of Texas’ new voter ID law.

Though no one in Dallas County has been prevented from voting — or even forced to cast a provisional ballot — because a name discrepancy, officials said women are being especially impacted by the requirements.

And Toni Pippins-Poole, the county’s elections administrator, said the totals through the first five days of early voting for the Nov. 5 election are a conservative estimate of the potential inconvenience.

“I know it’s more,” she said, adding that the totals don’t cover all polling locations. “Not all the reports have come through.”

Most of the talk about the new voter identification law, which went into effect this summer, has focused on the requirement that voters present a government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot.

The law, cheered by Republicans and loathed by Democrats, details seven forms of photo identification that can be used to vote. Those options include everything from a Texas driver’s license to a concealed handgun license to the new election ID certificate.

But attention has now turned to another provision of the law that says the name on a voter’s photo ID must exactly match the name listed in the voter registration database.

If the names are “substantially similar,” a voter can sign affidavit to verify his or her identity and then vote as normal. An elections official must approve that affidavit, but poll workers are encouraged to “err on the side of the voter.”

As a last resort, a voter with a name discrepancy could vote provisionally and then provide additional supporting information at a later time. Provisional ballots are held until elections officials can verify that they should count.

In Dallas County, more than 6,800 people from Oct. 21-25 voted early in an election that features nine proposed constitutional amendments. And at least 1,020 of those voters signed the affidavits before they voted, officials said.

The affidavits total is being hand counted, and officials haven’t been able to get reports from every polling location. So while Pippins-Poole anticipates there are many more instances, she said she won’t likely know for sure until the election is over.

Pippins-Poole said, however, that the name requirement appears to have a greater impact on women, who are more likely to change names after getting married or divorced. Many women, for instance, take on their maiden name as a middle name.

With even some high-profile women — including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis — being forced to sign an affidavit to vote, Democrats have pounced on the issue as an example of voter intimidation against minorities.

Election officials are taking pains to minimize the hassle. At polling locations in Dallas County, voters also have the option of updating their information in the voter registration database so it matches their photo identification going forward.

But at the least, there’s an extra minute or two of inconvenience for some voters. That might not a big deal in a low turnout election, but Pippins-Poole is already planning to add staff for the bigger primary and general elections next year.

“When you have a huge turnout, a minute for every voter could really produce some lines,” she said.

If the short first act of the agriculture commissioner race was a Rob Reiner flick, Quentin Tarantino may be taking over for part two.

How To Improve Kidney Function With The Kidney Disease Solution E-Book full article here

Rocker Ted Nugent has signed on as treasurer for Sid Miller, a former representative and candidate for Agriculture Commissioner.

Outspoken musician, hunter and conservative Ted Nugent, aka Motor City Madman, who in 2012 got a visit from the Secret Service after threatening President Obama, will handle finances for former Republican representative Sid Miller, a recent entrant in the ag race.

Political campaign treasurers often operate quietly behind the scenes of Texas’ political races but any of Nugent's outbursts could reflect back on Miller.

Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, decried the announcement that Nugent would serve as Miller’s treasurer.

“Sid Miller fully knew the type of vile hate Nugent represents, and he chose to have him as his campaign treasurer anyhow,” Hinojosa said in a statement.

What was once a straightforward race with candidates positioning themselves as true ranchers has morphed into something more complex, with several big names, personalities and intersecting plot lines.

Nugent’s arrival coincides with an upheaval of the agriculture commissioner ticket. As comparatively mild-mannered Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, exited the race, colorful musician and repeated political candidate Kinky Friedman entered along with former state representative and farmer Tommy Merritt. Republicans Eric Opiela and Mayor of Uvalde J. Allen Carnes are still in the race.

Friedman is the lone Democrat.

Nugent is notorious for his screeds against Washington D.C. and liberals. In 2012 he was quoted telling Obama to “suck on my machine gun.” The remark was of such a threatening nature that the Secret Service paid him a visit.

Nugent also testified at a Texas Legislative committee hearing in mid-2013 on a bill related to hunting and called all those who would constrain Texas' hunting liberties “numb nuts.”

Early voting at Lake Highlands North Recreation Center in Dallas October 22, 2012.

As far as off-year, constitutional amendment elections go, early voting this year is off to a strong start in Dallas County.

Through Wednesday, more than 3,900 people have cast an early ballot in the first three days of an election that features nine constitutional amendments. The most prominent item on the ballot is a proposal to create a long-term state water fund.

Though this year’s early voting bunch represents a miniscule fraction of the county’s registered voters, it’s a boost over similar elections in 2009 and 2011. Those elections saw around 2,100 voters each through the first three days of early voting, officials said.

And high-profile election or not, county election officials are paying close attention this year to the state’s new voter identification law. That includes during early voting, which ends Nov. 1.

The new law, which went into effect this summer, requires voters to present one of seven forms of photo identification to vote. Those options include everything from a Texas driver’s license to a concealed handgun license to the new election ID certificate.

(As we reported recently, not many election ID certificates have been issued in Dallas County – or anywhere in Texas. Through Monday, only 50 of the special photo IDs had been issued statewide.)

Another provision of the law is that the name on a voter’s photo ID must exactly match the name listed in the voter registration database.

If the names are “substantially similar,” a voter can then sign affidavit to verify his or her identity. An elections official must approve that affidavit, but a spokeswoman for the Texas Secretary of State said poll workers are encouraged to “err on the side of the voter.”

Democrats, who oppose the voter ID law, say women voters are especially hurt by the name rule. Since many women change names after getting married — and take on their maiden name, for instance, as a middle name — they say women are being intimidated at the polls.

“I’m glad that my Republican colleagues at least trust women to state their own identity without having to ask their fathers or husbands to vouch for them,” State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, said Thursday on a conference call to highlight the issue.

“But unfortunately,” she added, “women are feeling the hardships of this voter ID law.”

The Texas Secretary of State’s office said Thursday that there haven’t been reports of anyone having to vote provisionally because of a name issue.

In Dallas County, Pippins-Poole confirmed that there had been no provisional ballots as result of the name requirement. But she added that many voters are being required to sign the affidavits to vote.

To eliminate the hassle going forward, voters have the opportunity at polling locations to change their name in the voter registration database to match their photo ID. And Pippins-Poole said poll workers are being extra careful to inform voters.

“We’re trying to make sure that we don’t have anyone turned away because their name is different,” she said.

We’re waiting on exact numbers from Pippins-Poole on the number of voters who’ve had to sign affidavits – or who’ve been otherwise affected by the new voter ID law. So stay tuned on Friday for that updated story.

Gov. Rick Perry speaks with reporters after meeting with Maryland business owners and state GOP leaders at Morton's Steakhouse in Bethesda, Md., on Sept. 18, 2013.

While the Affordable Care Act was being rolled out in Texas and nationally, Gov. Rick Perry was in New Jersey blasting the health care program on behalf of Steve Lonegan.

Lonegan, the former mayor of Bogota, is running in a special U.S. Senate election against Democrat and Newark mayor Cory Booker. With 15 days left, recent polls have Lonegan trailing by about 12 points.

Perry traveled with Lonegan throughout the day, endorsing him at town hall meetings in Smithville, Bayville and Hasbrouck Heights.

As with much of the summer, Perry has been traveling to various states, touting the Texas economy and brandishing his conservative credentials.

House Speaker Joe Straus pulled his water campaign into Dallas and, along with prominent politicians and business people, urged North Texas to pass Proposition 6, a Nov. 5 amendment to the state constitution to fund the state water plan..

It was a campaign stop in a region of the state projected to have a skyrocketing population and escalating water needs in the coming half century.

House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio

As head of political action committee Water Texas, Straus, of San Antonio, has quickly emerged as the face of the campaign for Proposition 6, which would put $2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund into a newly formed water infrastructure bank to finance water projects outlined in the state water plan. Straus is traveling the state championing the water amendment.

“I appreciate the overwhelming support that we have received to ensure that Prop 6 passes in November,” Straus said in a statement. “This group of North Texas leaders, and the entire statewide leadership team understand that a lack of water impacts all Texans, and the cost of doing nothing is too great for our citizens, economy and future generations.”

Among the leaders were Mayor Mike Rawlings, a strong advocate of water issues, who has pushed for Dallas-area water conservation measures and for funding of the state water plan.

“The passage of Prop. 6 would benefit our area tremendously by providing funding for desperately needed water infrastructure projects,” Rawlings said in the news release.

The news release listed more than 30 prominent business people and lawmakers as part of the “Proposition 6 Coalition.” That’s in addition to the large majority of state lawmakers who have already endorsed the amendment.

As Straus traversed North Texas, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst spoke in Houston on the economic importance of water and trasportation infrastructure.

Update: A spokesman for Water Texas did contact the Dallas Morning News. The campaign offered this statement:

“The fact that Texas lacks an adequate water supply to meet our growing economic and population demand is not debatable. That’s why Water Texas is focused on educating Texans about the importance of supporting Proposition 6 to meet our state’s long-term water needs in a fiscally responsible way. We represent a broad-based, bipartisan coalition of elected officials and industry, business, conservation and agricultural leaders, who have volunteered their time to get the word out to Texans in advance of the November 5th election.”

BASTROP — Opponents of Proposition 6 convened at a Bastrop convention center Saturday hoping to see a debate on the merits of the measure that could put $2 billion in state money toward funding water projects. But the two chairs reserved on the debate panel for proponents of the water amendment remained empty all day.

Linda Curtis, director of Independent Texans, a non-partisan political action committee, organized the Bastrop event. It was a first for the slow-forming opposition to Proposition 6. Curtis reached out to representatives of influential pro-water-funding campaigns H2O4Texas and Water Texas, but neither would attend.

Curtis spoke about past successful campaigns for propositions, including one to change the Austin city council’s style of representation. For Proposition 6, she said Independent Texans would continue its grassroots efforts, work social media and reach out to rural Texans. She also considered Houston a “swing vote.” Huge numbers could turn out there because of important local ballot measures, such as the mayoral race and the future of the Astrodome.

“Never say never about defeating propositions,” Curtis told the crowd of about 80.

Debate or not, an eclectic mix of speakers attended the event. Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, a tea-party favorite, spoke against the water amendment. He said it would put the state government in the investment banking business. If the measure passes, the Texas Water Development Board will prioritize projects in the state water plan and use a revolving loan program to finance the projects.

“A lot better way to fund water infrastructure is through the free market,” Simpson said.

Alyssa Burgin, director of the Texas Drought Project, spoke about conservation and the dangers of building reservoirs, which she called “big evaporation pans.”

Proponents of Proposition 6 have argued that the amendment sets aside 20 percent of all funds to finance conservation. The majority of Texas lawmakers have endorsed Water Texas, one of the pro Proposition 6 political action committee headed by House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio.

Major business interests, including several oil and gas majors, engineering firms, water utilities and municipal water districts have donated to H2O4Texas, the more senior political action committee for the amendment, according to its campaign finance forms.

Ruben Sorto marks his ballot at Irving High School in the Democratic primary run-off election Tuesday, July 31, 2012 in Irving, TX. (Ron Baselice/ The Dallas Morning News)

The Department of Public Safety is starting Saturday office hours in select areas for qualified voters to obtain a picture ID card.

Under the state’s voter ID law, which is under court challenge, voters must have certain picture ID cards. If not, the state will furnish them.

Among acceptable IDs are a Texas driver license, a Texas ID card, U.S. passport, Texas concealed handgun license, U.S. Military identification with photo or a U.S. citizenship certificate or certificate of naturalization with a photo.

Beginning Saturday and extending through Nov. 2, certain DPS offices will be open from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. The Voter ID card is the only business that will be conducted.

If you are registered to vote and already have an approved form of ID, such as a driver’s license, no other action is necessary.

To obtain a Voter ID, the applicant must bring documentation that will verify U.S. citizenship, be a Texas resident and be 18 years old by the date of the election.